Making Friends with a Monster
by Ixcalia
Summary: Ichigo thinks back to how him and his Hollow got to this point. How could he have ever expected to make friends with someone who threatened him on a daily basis, someone who was an enemy? First of a series of oneshots that will eventually cross into a Blue ExorcistxBleach crosssover! Look inside for more details on that! ;)


Hey there! Welcome to my 2nd Bleach story, a one-shot. Here's how this is going to work:

_**I will be making a series of oneshots for Bleach and another series of oneshots for Blue Exorcist. I will be making some changes to both. ;) The end result will be a fic, a crossover between Bleach and Blue Exorcist! So, if you like both of them, you can look forward to that and I'd appreciate your support. If not, you can still read the fics individually an enjoy them that way! Let's not forget, there will be yaoi. The planned Bleach pairings are: GrimmjowxIchigo, GinxShiro**_

_**Of course, if you just haven't seen Blue Exorcist...I highly recommend it! Either way, enjoy the read and drop a review if you enjoy it! :)**_

* * *

"Che! You're so damn slow sometimes!"

Amber eyes narrowed, the orange haired teen disappearing in a flash, only to reappear a few yards away from where he had previously been standing. Blood dripped from an open wound on his sword arm, the sticky red substance forming a small puddle on the sideways skyscraper the teen stood on. A high pitched cackle sounded through the empty space that was his Inner World.

"What's the matter, Ichigo?" the watery voice asked, another cackle escaping the peculiar individual. Ichigo scowled, glaring at the inverted being that was his Hollow.

"Shut up," Ichigo hissed, bringing his free hand up to cover the still bleeding wound. It was deep, but not enough to worry him too much. "That's enough for today. I still have some homework to get done."

Ichigo smirked at the protest that escaped his Hollow. It still seemed strange that him and his Hollow had gotten along so well in the passed few months, not that Ichigo minded the calm. And, let's face it, he made a good sparring partner. Besides, if Ichigo wanted to beat Aizen, Zangetsu had insisted that the two working as one would be their best bet for peace.

* * *

_Here Ichigo was, face to face with the Hollow that resided inside his soul. It had taken him some time to make his decision, but he had finally gone to the Vizoreds for help. He had to learn to control the demon that continued to harass him!_

_"Long time, no see King." Ichigo narrowed his eyes, gripping his sword, letting the cloth around his Zanpakuto fall. The Hollow grinned maniacally, resting his hand on the hilt of his own Zanpakuto. _

_"I'm done with you!" he yelled, his teeth grinding when his Hollow's grin widened. "Find something funny?!" _

_"You think you can be rid of me? Your stupidity never fails to amaze me!" he cackled. His golden eyes seemed to glow in amusement. _

_"You!" Ichigo growled, raising his sword and lunging at his look-alike, an angry cry raising from his throat._

_"Stop!" _

_Ichigo stopped quickly, eyes slightly wide. Standing between them stood his Zanpakuto's spirit, Zangetsu. Looking over the Zanpakuto's shoulder, he could see his Hollow, who looked equally surprised. They all remained silent, Zangetsu watching Ichigo thoughtfully. _

_Finally, Ichigo broke the silence. "What do you want Old Man?" Zangetsu's eyes narrowed slightly, taking a few steps closer to the orange-haired teen. _

_"This lie will not go on any longer." Ichigo furrowed his brow in confusion, watching Zangetsu curiously. He could hear his Hollow let out a strangled cry, as if shocked or maybe even worried. _

_"Shut up Zangetsu! Don't you dare! You'll ruin everything!" the Hollow screeched, his teeth grinding in apprehension. Zangetsu turned to face him, giving him a small shake of his head. The Hollow's face fell, his shoulders slacking in defeat. "Damn you..." he hissed. _

_"I will not see you disappear. There can be no good in it." Zangetsu turned back to Ichigo, his eyes examining his young master. "Why should I allow him to disappear when you would benefit more by working together. He is not what you believe, Ichigo."_

_"Work together? With him?" Ichigo huffed, scowling at the spirit. "What's wrong with you?!" _

_"He is not a normal Hollow. Come here, Hollow." The Hollow looked up, a scowl forming on his face, but he obeyed. At Zangetsu's insistence, he allowed his shirt to fall open, revealing his pale chest and stomach. Ichigo stared blankly, seemingly missing the Zanpakuto's point. Zangetsu sighed, motioning to the Hollow's chest. "He does not have a Hollow Hole. Whereas he is indeed a Hollow in body, he is incomplete. He has a heart, unlike others." _

_Ichigo stared, a frown marring his face. It was true; there was no Hollow Hole to be seen, but that didn't change the fact that his pale doppelganger had tried to kill him or possess his body on many different occasions. He hadn't done anything that deserved his trust! _

_But before he could argue, Zangetsu continued. "Think for a moment, Ichigo. There have been many times he has saved your life, but you've never given it much thought. In the Soul Society, when you attempted to save Rukia, do recall when the mask appeared to block a deadly blow from your friend, Renji? Or in your battle against Byakuya, when your Bankai had you so weakened, you couldn't move. He took control and stopped the blow that could have ended your life." _

_"Sure, to save himself!" Ichigo looked at the Hollow, his eyes suspicious, but unsure. He trusted Zangetsu, yeah, but for him to say his Hollow was protecting him all this time...he couldn't help but wonder if the Old Man was finally going senile. _

_The entire time, the Inner Hollow kept quiet, but Ichigo noticed a reddish tinge across his cheeks and nose. He seemed indignant, but maybe...embarrassed? Ichigo covered his mouth, an amused snort escaping him. The Hollow's face only became redder, his fists clenching at his sides. "What's so damn funny?!" he growled, eyes narrowing. _

_"You're blushing! Are you really the big, bad Hollow I was worried about?" he laughed, a weight seeming to fall off his shoulders. Honestly, when he thought about it, Zangetsu could be right. But there was still the matter of him trying to kill him. As if reading his thoughts, Zangetsu gave the Hollow a look, who nodded slightly, though he still looked indignant. _

_"I only wanted to make you stronger...it was what you wanted, right? You said before you wanted the strength to protect your friends, so that's what I decided I'd do. I'd push you passed your limits, make you fight until you were as strong as you wanted to be." The Hollow looked down at the skyscraper, seemingly very interested in his reflection. "When I was born, I was born with the instincts to protect you, no matter what. I'd never really kill you." _

_"Well, I appreciate that," Ichigo commented dryly, crossing his arms over his chest. Frankly, he had every reason not to trust the Hollow, but with Zangetsu's testimony and the amusing pink dusting over the Hollow's cheeks, he couldn't bring himself to argue their words. "Do you have a name?" _

_The Hollow looked taken aback by the question, his brows furrowing in confusion. "No," he admitted, glancing at his look-alike curiously. "Not one that I know of." _

_"What if I gave you one?" The Hollow's eyes widened, but just slightly. "I don't think its fair to keep calling you 'Hollow', especially if we're going to do what the Old Man says and fight together." _

_"I'd like a name." The voice was unexpectedly soft, leaving Ichigo wondering if he had actually said anything. The teen looked thoughtful, a sad smile coming to his face. _

_"You know, I had an identical, younger, twin brother before. He died in a car accident, when we were six. When I first saw you, you kind of reminded me of him, a little." The Hollow gave him an incredulous look, much to his amusement. "He was an albino. He was pale and had white hair, like you. Except he wasn't quite as pale and his eyes were red. His name was Shiro Kurosaki." _

_The Hollow watched him somewhat curiously. This was news to him. He had never known that Ichigo had any siblings aside from his sisters. "Shiro..." he murmured, looking thoughtful. It sounded fitting. _

_"We'll call you Shiro. Its the first name that came to mind anyway. How does that sound?" Ichigo watched, smiling slightly. So, this was the end of his nightmare, huh? And it ended without a fight and the realization that his Hollow, the monster that had been the bane of his existence, was actually not bad. Quite the opposite, really. He was protecting him. _

_"It works. I like the sound of it." Shiro grinned slightly, seemingly satisfied. _

_"Its about time the two of you begin to see eye to eye." The two teens looked to the Zanpakuto spirit. "The two of you can only become stronger by working together. If you train yourselves with and against one another, I have no doubt that Aizen will fall." _

_The two boys looked at each other, their eyes locking. If Zangetsu thought so, that was enough for Ichigo. He extended his hand out to his look-alike, a slight smile on his face. "Well, how about it? Partners?" _

_Shiro eyed his hand, glancing back to his face. He seemed sincere enough. The pale teen grinned, gripping Ichigo's hand, his eyes sparkling with something Ichigo couldn't quite place. "Alright then. Partners it is."_

* * *

Ichigo leaned back, staring at the sky of his Inner World. The sky was blue, white clouds floating by. In the short time that him and Shiro had been getting along, he had learn a good bit about the Hollow.

For starters, Shiro really did love to fight. It was one trait he kept from being a Hollow. And he wad good at it too. He was always pointing out ways Ichigo could improve and was able to hold back or let loose, depending on the situation. He had control. Ichigo was impressed, to say the least.

Secondly, he noticed that the pale teen was naive. Ridiculously naive. While in school one day, the Hollow had asked him to read one of the short stories he was assigned. It was a story about a tiger and a dragon. Both hated each other, and their hatred almost destroyed the village they protected. In the end, the two had to work together to defend and save their home and they became friends.

But, the thing Ichigo realized was that Shiro couldn't read. And, upon further inspection, he realized he couldn't write either. He probably had no education at all. So, he spared some of his free time to teach the curious Hollow how to read and write. Ichigo wasn't sure why Shiro would ever need the skills, but he was more than willing to learn, so Ichigo was willing to teach.

Ichigo glanced over at Shiro, pushing himself up. "I have to go. I do have school tomorrow and I can't just skip my homework." Shiro sat up from where he previously laid, nodding slightly in response. "Am I going to get any peace so that I can finish my homework?"

Shiro grinned, cackling quietly. "Probably not." Ichigo rolled his eyes, grumbling softly as he disappeared from his Inner World, only to open his eyes, awake in his bedroom. He sighed, sitting up slowly, rubbing his head tiredly.

Unfortunately for him, a howl echoed from nearby, meaning a Hollow was nearby. Lovely. Ichigo sighed, grabbing his badge and pressing it to his chest, watching as his body collapsed onto the bed, leaving him in his Soul Reaper form. He could feel Shiro's excitement bubbling up beneath the surface and he smirked slightly as he flash stepped from his bedroom. Shiro's eagerness to fight could be a bit worrisome at times, but when push came to shove, it was reassuring to know that someone would have his back, no matter what.

And together, Ichigo knew that they would defeat Aizen. Starting with his army of Espada.

* * *

That's it for this one! Just the starting point for this series of oneshots! :) Keep your eyes open. Because next is GrimmjowXIchigo! Drop me a review and let me know what you think or if you have any questions!


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